Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more
and mightier than we, come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply,
and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight
against us, and so go up out of the land.
Exodus 1:8 - 10
Just to imagine the jealousy and evil
intent of the Egyptian king, who thought Israel might become a problem, is mind boggling to me. His taskmasters sent
to afflict Israel, burdened them with mortar, brick, and backbreaking work in
the fields. Yet, Israel flourished and increased in numbers, tormenting Pharaoh
and all Egypt anew with increasing fear. Dread of Israel motivated Pharaoh to fall
to the lowest levels of all. He demanded that the Egyptians murder the Hebrew male
babies by tossing them in the Nile—Egypt’s symbol of regeneration of life.
But, when
Father God wants something done, the same will be accomplished. The rich
history and scripture of Exodus makes that fact obvious. Pharaoh sensed that
something dangerous and destructive to his kingdom and rule lingered on the
horizon. Yet, for all of his selfish efforts he remained blind to that threat.
He had no inkling of what was to come.
A three-month-old
infant rested in an ark of bulrushes nestled among the reeds of the river Nile when
Pharaoh’s daughter decided to adopted the Hebrew baby. The one Elohim destined
to be Israel’s deliverer! The reeds, how
symbolic of Moses life. These plants are slow growing and are often found in
infertile soil. Evergreen, but not flashy in appearance or color. One could say
humble looking. The reeds have sets of three leaves situated three times along
the stem and the fruit has three sections with many seeds.
The Moses
of the Bible, is extremely humble. Though he’d been raised in Pharaoh’s royal household,
privileged with training and favor, he later became a shepherd—an occupation
looked down upon by Egyptians. Once Elohim sent Moses to deliver Israel from
slavery, there were many Hebrews who didn’t have fertile soil in their hearts to
accept the Lord’s blessings and rule. The reeds by the river Nile and the
repetitive number of groups of three leaves symbolize the Trinity to me. The
fruit of the reeds has three sections with many seeds—that equates to God’s
multiplication, in my opinion. Old Testament Jews and New Testament Christians
alike have been blessed by the seeds of truth and love provided by Elohim’s
design for centuries.
Doesn’t it
seem as though God’s own thumb print is present here for anyone to see? As
though He chuckled as he prepared a way for Israel’s redemption! He alone is
the Lord of order and might. Who can stand in His way? No one. Pharaoh proved
clueless to God’s involvement all around him though he jealously watched,
dreaded, and chose evil solutions. My daily longing is to be aware of Him and
joyfully follow His lead. To be the planting of the Lord in any location. So,
what about you, have you noticed what God is up to in your life lately? Just
look around, but especially, look up and see.
The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Psalm 37:23
